Mixed fiber fleece or fabric

ABSTRACT

A mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric is provided for making nonwoven or woven articles such as fillings for bedding, upholstered furniture and automotive interiors or the associated covers, textile garments and linings, which offers further optimised moisture management compared to the known mixed fibre fabric and which without the use of chemicals has an antibacterial action, ensures freedom from house dust mites and is 100% biodegradable. This is achieved in that the mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric consists of the principal components cellulose fibres and kapok fibres.

The invention concerns a mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric for makingnonwoven or woven articles such as fillings for bedding, upholsteredfurniture and automotive interiors or the associated covers, textilegarments and linings.

A mixed fibre bonded fabric made from sheep's wool and kapok fibres isknown, DE 40 30 172 C2, which as a wholly natural product takes intoaccount above all the hygienic requirements not least of hospitals,laboratory facilities and nursing homes, as the kapok fibre contentgives such a mixed fibre fabric an antibacterial and antisepticproperty.

The object of the invention is to provide a mixed fibre nonwoven orwoven fabric that offers further optimised moisture management comparedto the known mixed fibre fabric and which without the use of chemicalshas an antibacterial action, ensures freedom from house dust mites andis 100% biodegradable.

According to the invention, the solution to this lies in the elements ofthe characterizing portion of the main claim In conjunction with theelements of the preamble to the main claim.

The mixed fibre nonwoven or the mixed fibre woven fabric consists of theprincipal components cellulose fibres and kapok fibres such that thekapok fibre content ensures that an object made from such a mixed fibrenonwoven or mixed fibre woven fabric remains permanently free from housedust mites and bacteria without laborious cleaning or washingoperations. As both components consist of renewable vegetable rawmaterials, a pure, easily biodegradable and easily decaying naturalproduct is provided which, moreover, functions in a particularlyadvantageous way as a climate fabric. According to the temperaturedifference between a heat source such as the body heat of a sleeperunder the fabric and an external temperature rising from cold to warmabove the fabric, when the material according to the invention is used ashift in its effect takes place from ‘initially warming’ to ‘dissipatingmore heat’ to ‘thermal insulation effect’.

Further advantageous embodiments of the subject of the invention areevident with and in combination from the subordinate claims below.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention,the cellulose fibres used are cellulose fibres or cellulose regeneratefibres made industrially by a chemical process such as viscose, modal orsimilar, as they can show properties some of which are perceptiblysuperior to those of natural cellulose fibres.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the subject of theinvention, the cellulose fibres consist of lyocell fibres manufacturedby the solvent process, which demonstrably provide optimised moisturemanagement compared to sheep's wool, in particular which ensure bettermoisture absorption and a better moisture balance, as well as being morebreathable. A further advantage of lyocell fibres is their high wetstrength, which is approximately 20% higher than that of viscose and, inaddition, the great fineness with which lyocell fibres can bemanufactured.

As such lyocell fibres can be processed into nonwovens and also intowoven fabrics, a starting product for further processing is provided inconjunction with the kapok fibres, which has clear technical advantagesover known mixed fibre nonwovens or woven fabrics and which due to thekapok fibre content remains antibacterial and free from house dustmites, even without cleaning or washing, and which moreover is 100%biodegradable.

Due to the use of the lyocell fibres in a mixed fibre nonwoven or wovenfabric, besides the technical advantages there are also otheradvantages, such as physiological advantages, for instance if such afabric is used for bedding. These include an “instant heat effect” andhence a subjective feeling of wellbeing induced by a new kind ofresonant heat reflection. The new mixed fibre fabric thereforerepresents a new kind of climate fabric. This is achieved because thestrongly hydrophilic behaviour of lyocell plus the air volume due tobulk mixed with kapok and the latter's good insulation property inconjunction with a user's body heat as a heat source cause this physicalreaction of a resonant heat reflection. The fabric immediately returnsthe radiated heat back to the heat source in a resonance reaction. Theperceptible effect is subjectively even higher with moist heat.

Due to the blend of hydrophilic lyocell content and the hydrophobickapok content a unique climate effect occurs in the presence of a heatsource, such as a sleeper's body heat, and this leads to movement of airlayers (wind) in the fabric. Due to the high relative water vapourconveying power of lyocell, warm moist body vapours are for examplerapidly conveyed towards the cooler bedroom which has a loweratmospheric humidity. This effect is considerably accelerated by thehydrophobic kapok content. This rapid drying of the lyocell componentssupports the properties provided by the kapok, which keep the materialfree from bacteria and mites, making it especially suitable for peopleallergic to house dust mites because it removes the moisture whichbacterial cultures and house dust mites need in order to grow.

Even if a sleeper is giving off increased sweat, however, the moisturecan be absorbed and stored for a short time, with locally occurringmoisture being distributed over larger areas of the fabric in a quasiblotting paper function.

All in all, in proportion of the body temperature of a sleeper in a coolroom to that in a warm room, the functioning of the mixed fibre fabricshifts from initially providing instant heat to dissipating surplus heatto insulation against excess external heat and this has a subjectivelycooling effect.

The individual components processed to make monogamous nonwoven fabricsdo not provide any other functions than the known ones, whereas thehomogenous blend of the two natural materials, on the other hand,provides functions which in terms of insulation, hygroscopicity andconsumer benefits develop a very special effect as a climate fabric andare simple, ingenious and natural.

As the lyocell fibres and also in particular the kapok fibres do nothave very great bulk, it is possible according to a further embodimentof the invention additionally to add polyester fibres to the mixed fibrefabric made from cellulose fibres, in particular lyocell fibres andkapok fibres, in order permanently to improve the bulk.

1-5. (canceled)
 6. Mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric for makingnonwoven or woven articles such as fillings for bedding, upholsteredfurniture and automotive interiors or the associated covers, textilegarments and linings, characterized in that the mixed fibre nonwoven orwoven fabric consists of the principal components cellulose fibres andkapok fibres.
 7. Mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric according to claim6, characterised in that the cellulose fibres consist of chemicallymanufactured cellulose fibres.
 8. Mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabricfor making nonwoven or woven articles, consisting of the principalcomponents cellulose fibres and kapok fibres, characterised in that thecellulose fibres consist of chemically manufactured cellulose fibres. 9.Mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric according to claim 7, characterizedin that the cellulose fibres consist of lyocell fibres manufactured bythe solvent process.
 10. Mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric accordingto claim 6, characterised in that it forms a climate fabric.
 11. Mixedfibre nonwoven or woven fabric according to claim 6, characterized inthat polyester fibres are added to it.
 12. Antibacterial, house dustmite free and moisture balancing mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabricfor making nonwoven or woven articles, characterized in that the mixedfibre nonwoven or woven fabric contains chemically manufacturedcellulose fibres and kapok fibres.
 13. Antibacterial, house dust mitefree and moisture balancing mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabricaccording to claim 6, characterized in that the cellulose fibres consistof lyocell fibres manufactured by the solvent process. 14.Antibacterial, house dust mite free and moisture balancing mixed fibrenonwoven or woven fabric for making nonwoven or woven articles,characterized in that the mixed fibre nonwoven or woven fabric containslyocell fibres manufactured by the solvent process and kapok fibres. 15.Antibacterial, house dust mite free and moisture balancing mixed fibrenonwoven or woven fabric according to claim 6, characterised in thatpolyester fibres are added to it.